


He's Got to Have a Name

by Cantatrice18



Category: Nanny McPhee (2005)
Genre: Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-29
Updated: 2016-03-29
Packaged: 2018-05-29 20:37:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6392821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cantatrice18/pseuds/Cantatrice18
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Brown children prepare for the arrival of their new half-sibling, and speculate on names. All of them try to keep fear at bay, for each one of them knows firsthand how quickly something as common as childbirth can take away the person they care for the most.</p>
            </blockquote>





	He's Got to Have a Name

“He’s different. He’s special.”

The children had pushed their beds apart and now sat in a tight circle on the nursery floor. Outside, the fierce wind of a late summer storm buffeted the house, making the beams of the roof and the wooden floorboards creak. Lily crossed her arms, her scowl visible even in the dim light. “How do you know it’s a ‘He’?” she demanded.

“Got to be,” said Eric. “We’ve had four girls already. Now it’s time for a boy.”

“It doesn’t always work like that, you know,” Tora put in. “The Middlefords have three girls, and the Corens.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Simon said impatiently. “Boy or girl, this baby is special. This baby is Evangeline’s.”

“It it’s a girl, I think it should be named after Nanny Mcphee,” said Tora. “After all, without her help Papa might never have even noticed Evangeline existed.”

“Don’t be stupid, you can’t name a child ‘Nanny’.” Eric straightened its glasses. “If it’s a boy, maybe George or Edward. Proper English names.”

“Boring,” said Lily. “He’s special. It’s a pity all the princes in stories seem to be called ‘Charming’…”

“I imagine Father already has a name picked out,” Simon said. “He and mother always decided beforehand, anyway.”

“But if they know, why won’t they tell us?” whined Sebastian, rocking back and forth.

“Because it’s a surprise!” Lily cried.

The children exchanged excited glances. “Where will we put him?” asked Chrissy, looking around at the nursery.

“He’ll stay with Evangeline, for a little while anyway,” Simon informed him knowledgeably. The others all deferred to him, as the eldest, whenever talk of babies came up. After all, he remembered when all of them had been born. Well, nearly all anyway. “Babies all need to be with their mothers.”

“What about Aggie?” Sebastian asked innocently. 

The older children exchanged uncomfortable looks. “This isn’t like with Aggie,” Simon replied roughly. 

“That’s right,” Tora agreed. “Evangeline isn’t going to, to…” 

She trailed off, but the others all understood. One by one they looked at Eric. The bespectacled boy was frowning in concentration. “Evangeline appears to be the perfect specimen of a healthy female. However, if stories are to be believed, there’s a good chance she won’t survive.”

“Eric, don’t even think it!” Tora cried. “This isn’t some fairy story, it’s real life. Evangeline won’t die. Not with Father there to keep her safe, not with us. We love her too much for that.”

They all fell silent again, lost in their own dark thoughts. For, despite Tora’s protestations, they all knew that death had no qualms about taking someone who was loved. “What can we do?” Chrissy quavered. 

“Nothing.” Simon’s tone was firm, daring anyone to contradict him. “Do as we’re told and stay out of the way when the doctor comes. And hope.”

The others nodded, listening to the wind outside. “It’s getting late,” Simon said. “Bed time.”

The children dispersed, retreating to their own beds. One by one, the wind lulled them to sleep, until only Sebastian was left awake. He couldn’t seem to close his eyes. Whenever he did, all he could think of was Evangeline. Evangeline, who had brought him toast in secret, who had held him when he’d cried and never told anyone about it. Pretty Evangeline. Kind Evangeline. He’d missed their mother when she’d died, but Mother had always felt shared between all of them equally. Evangeline felt like she was his, and he didn’t think he could stand it if anything happened to her. Silently, carefully, he sat up and levered himself off the bed and onto the floor. He needed to see her. 

Quieter than a mouse, Sebastian tiptoed to the stairs, taking care not to step on either of the two squeaky floorboards near the foot of Eric’s bed. He leaned on the banister on the way downstairs, letting it take some of his weight so that he could glide silently down the wooden steps. Then, when he was sure the others could no longer hear him, he ran. 

Down the hallways, his little feet pattering over the carpets and rugs, he did not slow until he reached the door to Father and Evangeline’s bedroom. The door was slightly ajar, a lamp by the bedside still illuminated despite the lateness of the hour. Sebastian peered in and saw Evangeline sitting alone in bed, pillows propping her up from behind. One hand held a book, a volume he recognized as previously belonging to Tora. The other hand rested lightly on the swell of her belly, which seemed particularly large beneath her delicate pale fingers. It was there, Sebastian knew, that his new baby brother would come from. He felt another surge of fear as he looked at Evangeline, remembering just how much danger the baby put their stepmother in. If Eric was to be believed, their days with Evangeline were numbered.

He must have made a sound of some sort, though he certainly didn’t mean to, for Evangeline looked up quite suddenly from her reading, her large brown eyes curious. “Is someone there?” she called softly. 

Sebastian hesitated, then pushed the door farther open and stepped inside. “Just me,” he mumbled awkwardly. 

Evangeline sat up a little straighter, brows knit with concern. “Is something wrong, Sebastian? A stomach ache, or a bad dream?”

He didn’t know quite how to answer. There was no good way to say that he’d crept all the way to her room in the middle of the night because he was afraid she might die at any moment, because he couldn’t stand the thought of losing her without saying goodbye. So he simply stood, his face turning red with embarrassment.

Evangeline waited, but when he didn’t respond she placed her book carefully on the bedside table and held out her arms. “Come here, Sebastian. Let me hold you.”

He swallowed hard, feeling tears coming to his eyes, and ran to the bed, clambering up onto it and allowing Evangeline’s warm arms to embrace him. He breathed in the soft scent of kitchen herbs that still clung to her despite her year of marriage to Father, feeling a tightness around his heart even as his limbs relaxed at her touch. “Shh, shh,” Evangeline murmured, rubbing his back in slow circles. “It’s alright. Everything will be alright.”

Sebastian took a deep, shuddering breath, unable to keep his tears from falling onto the soft white linen of her nightdress. She kissed him on the top of his head and held a hand against his forehead. “Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”

He nodded, a lump in his throat. “M’fine. It’s just…”

“Tell me, Sebastian. Please.”

And so he told her. He told her what Eric had said, how all the children knew that having a new brother or sister meant risk, risk that someone they cared about might die. Aggie was proof of that. He told her how he’d been unable to sleep, the fear of losing her too strong. He told her everything, and when he’d finished he found he had no tears left to shed. Throughout his whole rambling explanation, Evangeline had said nothing, only held him. Now she smiled at him, the soft, sweet smile he adored. The one that made him feel safe and loved no matter how bad a time he was having. Even before Nanny McPhee’s arrival, that smile had often dissuaded him from the worst acts of mischief, simply because he wanted her to smile again. “Oh, my wonderful boy,” she said quietly. “Thank you for telling me. Goodness knows, I would hate to leave you just as much. Even in heaven, I could never be entirely happy, for I’d miss you terribly. But Sebastian, you needn’t worry so much yet. Your father is taking good care of me. Almost too good, I must say.” Her eyes crinkled at the corners and her eyes gained the extra sparkle they always did when she thought of her husband. “You’d think he’d never had a baby before, the way he frets. I’m in good hands, and according to the doctor the little girl and I are in perfect health. So you see, there’s no cause for alarm just yet.”

Sebastian nodded, then froze. “Did you say…girl?” he asked, eyes widening.

Evangeline colored slightly. “Well of course, there’s no way to be sure. But somehow I just know. I feel it, deep down.”

“But the numbers,” Sebastian protested. “The cricket team will be all off, and there’s barely any room on the girl’s side of the nursery. Are you sure you can’t have a boy?”

Evangeline laughed. “Well, we’ll see. Perhaps I’m wrong. There’s only one real way to find out, and that’s to wait. So why don’t you head back to bed, and think up some possible names for your little sister. Your father and I still haven’t found the perfect one. Perhaps you’ll find it for us.”

Sebastian nodded solemnly, then yawned. Now that Evangeline had assuaged most of his fears, he found his eyelids drooping and his limbs growing heavy. He turned to go and had just reached the door when he turned back. “Evangeline?”

“Hmm?” she responded.

“I love you,” Sebastian said. “I really do.”

“I love you too, my dearest,” Evangeline replied. “Sweet dreams.” 

As Sebastian returned to his room, crawling beneath his own covers once more, his mind teemed with possible names and images of his soon-to-be-sister. It might be alright after all, he decided, to have another girl in the family. So long as that girl was like Evangeline, he wouldn’t mind. After all, there could never be too many Evangelines in the world.


End file.
